


The Problem With Potions

by thoroughlynerdy



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-21
Updated: 2014-07-21
Packaged: 2018-02-09 20:58:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1997565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thoroughlynerdy/pseuds/thoroughlynerdy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aiba has trouble with potions, Nino is there for backup.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Problem With Potions

**Author's Note:**

> This is a mix of worlds and characters I do not own. This never happened, I promise. This will serve as my AIba/Nino free square over at rainbowfilling on LJ. This is self-betaed so if you spot anything weird, lemmie know!

Aiba Masaki had a love/hate relationship with the subject of potions—he found it fascinating how a few simple ingredients, brewed the correct way, could cure someone of hiccups, turn their hair (and face!) bright blue, or even make them tell the truth when all they wanted to do was lie. When left alone, Aiba was decent at making potions, he could follow directions and be patient when need be, stirring first clockwise, then counterclockwise, or adding another half-turn to finish it off.

“Three pinches of knotgrass, finely chopped,” Aiba said, running his blade through the fine blades of grass on his cutting board.

The problem with potions class however, was that he was always never left alone. He was almost always surrounded by other students. Students full of jokes, notes, questions, and even the odd insult. He just could not remain as focused as he needed to be one hundred percent of the time, and thus nearly always found himself failing spectacularly. This year, his fifth year, he was determined to change his luck, even if he had been stuck with Slytherin for potions class.

“500ml water,” he read, measuring out the appropriate amount.

Aiba had no qualms with Slytherin House, but it seemed that most of them took issue with him. The one exception being Ninomiya whom he’d known since he was five and if Nino ever wanted to get rid of him he’d have to do a whole lot worse than being sorted into a different House.

“Three tablespoon crushed beetle eyes,” He said, then gently scraped the contents of his mortar and pestle in to the cauldron then absentmindedly swiped the sweat off his brow as it simmered lightly. He was half an hour into a double potions lesson with the Slytherins and Professor Higashiyama had already sighed deeply when he’d seen the murky purple contents of his cauldron.

“Okay,” he muttered under his breath, “Now I add one teaspoon of boomberries, then stir counter—Oh!” Aiba cried out then jumped back from the table, quickly throwing his arms up to block his face from the putrid green smoke now billowing out from the cauldron.  
Professor Higashiyama threw him a startled look before threading his way through the tables and sighing resignedly, “What did you do this time, Aiba?” He asked before waving his wand lazily, instantly making the foul-smelling concoction vanish.

“I’m sorry!” Aiba apologized quickly, wringing his hands together as cast a quick glance around the room to confirm that, yes, everyone was currently staring at him. “I, I think it was the boomberries—I must’ve added too many,” He spluttered out.

Nino snorted behind his hand as he stirred his own potion two tables away.

“Boomberries? Don’t you mean baneberries?” Professor Higashiyama asked suspiciously.

Aiba blinked up at him owlishly, then his face split into a wide grin, “Well professor, I think we’ve figured out the problem.”

“Yeah, Aiba is illiterate,” Yamashita offered loudly.

Aiba’s smile faltered at the remark, but he straightened his shoulders and looked nervously at his professor, “I guess I should start over?” He asked cautiously.

Higashiyama gave him a stiff nod then made his way back toward the front of the room where chalkboard indicated an hour and twenty minutes remaining in the period. “I want a sample from everyone on my desk before you leave.”

Aiba cast a dark glance over at Yamashita who was talking loudly to the students next to him, “Honestly, I knew Hufflepuffs were idiots, but usually they can at least read,” He laughed.

Aiba promptly ignored them and set about righting his mistake.

…

With ten minutes to spare, Aiba stirred his potion counterclockwise three more times and let out a deep sigh of relief as the color faded from a foggy brown to a clear amber. He quickly filled one of his vials and brought it to a waiting Professor Higashiyama, who just nodded absently as he marked Aiba’s name on the vial.

As he made his way back towards his cauldron to clean up his area, he cast a cautious glance around at the other students who were finish up their own potions. Nino, he noted, had finished nearly twenty minutes before him and was shuffling a deck of exploding Snap cards beneath his desk. Just behind Nino Yamashita was stirring his own cauldron counterclockwise. No sooner had he completed the third rotation than contents exploded with surprising force and covered both him and his tablemate in a thick brown sludge.

“What the hell?” Yamashita wailed and cast about.

“Ugh, this stuff burns,” Akanishi, who’d had the unfortunate position of Yamashita’s tablemate, moaned as he raked his fingers through the sticky substance coating his face.

“Watch your language, Yamashita. Ten points from Slytherin. Go see Mr. Nakai in the Hospital Wing while I sort this out,” He told the boys tiredly as he surveyed the ruined station. “The rest of you are dismissed.”

“That class was certainly eventful,” Aiba said easily, falling into step beside Nino as they filed up the stairs towards the Great Hall.

“Yamashita should learn to watch his mouth and it wouldn’t have to be,” Nino mumbled in reply, eyes fixed on the deck of cards.  
Aiba stared at Nino, eyes wide as they found an empty table near the back of the room. “That was you?” he whispered.

“All I did was slip an extra aconite into it while he was busy throwing beetle eyes at Yuriko,” Nino shrugged easily.

“Well, thanks for that,” Aiba said quietly as he pulled the platter of chicken wings towards him.

“It was no—” Nino started but Aiba cut him off.

“Don’t say it was nothing, okay? It meant a lot to me—means a lot to me, that you’re still my friend,” Aiba said gruffly.

Nino rolled his eyes but shoved the crock of mashed potatoes towards Aiba, “You know I don't buy into all of this Slytherins hate everyone who aren't Slytherins nonsense," He said dismissively. At the watery look Aiba shot him though, he quickly added, "Just do my charms homework for a week and we’ll consider us even, okay?”

Aiba sniffed then laughed, “Deal.”


End file.
